Internship Placements

Purpose

The purpose of the Internship and Co-operative Education (for PALG minors and Post-BA students) Program is to provide students with a direct experience in their concentrated area. The required classroom seminar complements the internship experience by including pertinent topics such as; discussion of organizational models, conflict resolution, confidentiality, career options, resume writing and interviewing skills, ethical and professional responsibility.

Eligibility & Pre-Requisite Requirements

All Justice Studies Majors must meet the pre-requisite requirements in order to register for the Internship class. For students who anticipate registering for JUST497 Senior Seminar and Internship, the following requirements must be met:

Completion of JUST200, JUST201, JUST300, and JUST310 with a minimum grade of C- in each.

Completion of six (6) concentration electives.

Students in the Justice Studies Concentration must have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0.

Students in the Paralegal Studies Concentration must have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.75.

Students in the International Justice Concentration must have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0.

Students must have senior status and departmental permission.

Students must file the application by the designated deadline.

All Paralegal Studies Minors and Post-BA Certificate students must meet the pre-requisite requirements in order to register for the Internship class. For students who anticipate registering for PALG497 Paralegal Seminar and Internship or PALG498 Co-op. Ed.: Paralegal Studies, the following requirements must be met:

Completion of PALG210.

Completion of PALG312 with a minimum grade of C-.

Completion of two (2) legal specialty courses.

Students in the Paralegal Studies Minor and Post-BA Certificate program must have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.75.

Must have departmental approval.

Must file the application by the designated deadline.

Placement Process

The Internship Application can be downloaded from the website or picked-up outside the Justice Studies Office in Dickson Hall, room 348.

Students must file their application and meet the above-mentioned criteria by the following DEADLINES in order to be eligible to register for JUST 497 or PALG 497/498.

March 1st for Fall Semester placement February 1st for Summer Semester placement October 1st for Spring Semester placement

Paralegal Minors and Post-BA Certificate students must return their completed applications to Prof. Fackina, Paralegal Studies Program Director, in Dickson Hall, room 330.

Immediately after filing the application, all students must call Prof. Raguso and arrange for an appointment to meet with her and discuss placement options.

STUDENTS WHO MISS THE ABOVE DEADLINES WILL NOT BE PERMITTED TO REGISTER FOR THE INTERNSHIP CLASS OR MOVE FORWARD WITH THE PLACEMENT PROCESS UNTIL THE FOLLOWING SEMESTER. NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE.

Important Factors to Consider

Students who file early have the best selection of placement opportunities.

Many placements require security clearance that will involve background checks. A prior arrest or conviction may exclude students from certain placements. Please advise the Applied Learning Specialist, Professor Raguso, so that she can work with you to secure an appropriate placement.

The minimum credit requirement for all internships is three (3) credits.

JUST497 is a 3 credit course with the option of variable credit.

PALG497 is a 3 credit course.

PALG498 is a variable credit course administered by the Office of Cooperative Education. Students must contact the Office of Cooperative Education along with submitting the Internship Application to Professor Fackina.

All 3 credit internships require 90 hours of fieldwork over the semester.

Variable Credit Policy for JUST497 – As of spring 2011, students are only able to request 3 credits for JUST 497: Senior Seminar and Internship Experience unless they are employed part time or full time in the field of their concentration. Students working in the field may be eligible for 3, 6 or 8 credits dependent on the number of hours they are working in the field and approval of the Applied learning Specialist.

Students may secure their own placements with the approval of the Applied Learning Specialist, Prof. Raguso.

Paralegal Minors and Post-BA Certificate Program students who have worked in the field for more than one (1) year full-time can apply to waive the internship with special approval from the Ms. Nicole Fackina, Paralegal Studies Program Director. If approved and the placement is waived, the student must substitute another paralegal (PALG) studies course.

ALL STUDENTS MUST FOLLOW THE PROCESS OUTLINED ABOVE. ONLY STUDENTS WHO MEET WITH THE APPLIED LEARNING SPECIALIST AFTER THEY FILE AN APPLICATION WILL BE ALLOWED TO REGISTER.